


Ommetaphobia

by Fukami_kun



Category: Hello Charlotte (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Drug Addiction, Fluff and Angst, Introspection, Panic Attacks, References to Drugs, found family trope, technically soap addiction but soap is referred to as a drug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 07:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13782801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fukami_kun/pseuds/Fukami_kun
Summary: He got up from his side and tried to stretch again. Lifting his arms up, Bennett yawned. The blonde sighed, just barely happier because he was able to release some tension. He hung his legs off the edge of his pod, swinging them slightly, but making sure they wouldn’t hit Florence. She slept below him. To his side were Baldwin and Goodwin. Bennett sighed. Nobody else seemed to be stirring. He was the only one awake, again.





	Ommetaphobia

**Author's Note:**

> hey! whoa! wow! i write a hc fic and its not a songfic!!!! i did this totally on my own headcanon that felix is trying to help bennett deal with his soap addiction. i really really like the idea of them being brother figures to each other. okay well, i really just like the idea that all the tenants are like a found family together. i set this in the ep2 verse (bc yknow, things are much happier in this verse) 
> 
> i also did base this off of this lil artpiece etherane did!   
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/3c0ec9ff35c7e7b31f1ff0003b18be75/tumblr_p43nc4VKEp1s3snaho1_r1_400.png
> 
> (i dont know how to insert links im sorry ;;)
> 
> but anyways, i really hope you like this! im very proud of it!!

Bennett awoke with an annoyed groan. He tried to stretch as much as he could in his small, compact sleeping pod. There was a horrible crick in his neck that only got worse when he tried to twist his back. The worker let out a pained sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck gingerly. He probably pulled a muscle. Bennett winced as he pressed down on a particularly sore spot.

He got up from his side and tried to stretch again. Lifting his arms up, Bennett yawned. The blonde sighed, just barely happier because he was able to release some tension. He hung his legs off the edge of his pod, swinging them slightly, but making sure they wouldn’t hit Florence. She slept below him. To his side were Baldwin and Goodwin. Bennett sighed. Nobody else seemed to be stirring. He was the first one awake, again. 

The blonde sat and listened to the sounds of the other workers snoring. He rubbed his left eye, careful not to irritate the patch of eyes. Even if it was in the past, even if he was already cured; Bennett still hated this blotch of irregular skin. They were just a permanent stain. A scar. Those eyes would never, ever fully vanish from his face. His body still wasn’t fully  _ normal _ , and he hated it. Bennett let go of the blanket he didn’t realize he was clutching so hard. His pale skin was even paler at the knuckles. He grimaced, and forced himself to get up even if the rest of his body protested.

Bennett knew he should be used to the silence of the House in the morning, but no matter what, it was just so deafening. The sound of anything else would be better than the horrid ringing in his ears. He wanted to just go back into the lab so he could sit and listen to his fellow workers in their sleep. But instead, Bennett made his way to the bathroom, almost trying to stomp his feet with every step in attempt to make noise. In his head, he tried to simulate the childish babbling of Charlotte, the lectures of Felix, and even the orders of Huxley. Anything would do. Anything would work for now.

He inhaled and took a deep breath. Bennett put his hand over the cold metal knob to the bathroom. It opened easily with a somewhat quiet creak. In his mind, Bennett silently thanked the door. It was a childish habit, but he didn’t mind. 

Bennett opened the door, then closed it behind him slowly. The worker then walked over to the sink. He sighed. After a brief moment of silence, he turned the faucet on and held his hands out under the stream of cold water. The sheer frigidity of the water made him wince and shiver, but he splashed it onto his face regardless. Bennett hept bringing his hands up to his face until it became numb. It felt better that way.

He meticulously picked out the crust and gunk from his eyes. It was such a pain to do each morning, but he knew he had to do it. Felix berated him once on his disorderly and dirty looking face. To avoid that, he washed his face every day. He loved Felix, but his lectures were so tiresome to sit through. The other boy would take so long just rambling and going on tangents. It got kinda annoying at times.

Bennett took a towel from the nearby shower rack. The worker pressed it into his face, rubbing it softly over his splotch of eyes. After a moment, he pulled the now damp towel away from his face, and sighed. It still seemed too quiet. Bennett put aside the towel on the top of the toilet, watching it fall off after a moment. The blonde didn’t bother to pick it off of the ground.

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed his toothbrush and squeezed a decent amount of toothpaste onto it. Bennett didn’t care much for brushing his teeth either, but Florence called him out on his foul smelling breath before, so he might as well do it. Besides Felix and Huxley, she was one of the few people who were close enough to him that he could view as family- but ‘family’ kinda meant people who criticized his hygiene. Bennett smiled throughout the froth, he didn’t care about that. Even if they did scold him every so often about how unkempt he was, he still loved them. ‘She’s a cool sister’, he thought. Despite himself, he was glad to have a family as great as them. Bennett spit out all the foam in his mouth and gargled with water.

He steadied himself by propping up his arms on both sides of the sink. His stomach felt sour. It wasn’t unusual for him to eat mostly nothing all day. For the most part, the only thing he consumed was soap. Bennett stared hard at his reflection in the mirror. His other self stared back with a scrunched up nose and scowl. It was almost laughable how quick his mood changed. A minute ago he was gushing about how he loved his found family, but now here he was. He looked so pitiful and disgusting. The sick feeling in his stomach grew stronger. Bennett blinked and tried to shake his head, almost as if to ward off any intrusive thoughts. 

In the mirror was an apparition of him in a medical gown, eyes speckling the sides of his head. This other him looked utterly miserable. There was a very jaded look in his almost glassy eyes. Bags hung beneath all the eyes that dotted between matted tufts of hair. It was such a dreadful memory to stare back into. He blinked again and that other him was gone. Even still, he was looking at a pitiful picture of himself. Bennett glowered at the eyes that dotted the side of his face. He shifted uncomfortably and tried to bring his shirt up to hide his neck. Every part of his body still had some sign of the eye plague. The tissue was forever scarred and none of Huxley’s experiments would be able to fix him.

The blonde sucked in a shaky breath and tightened his grip on the sink. His stomach felt like acid and his legs were jelly. The acidic feeling in his stomach literally burned, and Bennett could feel the bile rising in his already sore throat. Bennett moved one of his hands to clutch at his shirt. His eyes were wide, tears starting to form at the edges. The blonde tried to take deep breaths, like Felix had instructed before, but he couldn’t stop himself from hyperventilating. He  _ knew  _ that vision wasn’t real, and that he shouldn’t let it get to him. Even though, his breathing pitched to staccatos until he was almost wheezing. 

Bennett sank to the ground, burying his face in his hands. One of his fingers poked his eyes painfully, but he ignored it. The only noise he could hear were his quick, panicked breaths. It was still quiet outside the bathroom. Nobody would come to help him. What the hell should he do? The worker held his stomach as a particularly excruciating pain bloomed in his right side. Stomach pains mix well with panic attacks at all. He remembered that Felix had said before that if there were ever a pain in his right side, it could possibly mean an issue with his appendix. Bennett groaned as another pain panged in his side. Hopefully, he’d be okay, but he seriously doubted it right now. 

The worker looked up from his now tear stained hands. He didn’t even notice he began to cry, the poor boy was too caught up in just trying to steady himself. His eyes trailed about the room until they settled on the half empty soap dispenser. 

Of course! Soap was the solution to everything! Bennett stood up on shaking legs. He was hesitant. Felix had told him to control his soap intake, but right now he really needed it. Perhaps that could be the only thing that would help him right now. He stared into the mirror again, conflicted. This time, an even more miserable version of him looked back at him. It wasn’t some image of another him. Even though he already cleaned his face up, he looked like shit. His eyes were bloodshot and the bags under his eyes only highlighted them even more. Gunk started to well up in the corners of his main eyes again, so Bennett rubbed at them forcefully. It stung, but right now he really couldn’t care less. The blonde stopped after a moment and eyed the soap again.

He knew he should listen to Felix, but he  _ needed _ it so badly right now. Bennett huffed tiredly and took the bottle into his hands. He uncapped it and took out the nozzle. Well, it was now or never. ‘Bottoms up, and Charlotte laughs’, Bennett thought ruefully. He lifted the bottle to his face and drank from it like a regular water bottle. It was cold, but he didn’t care. Bennett tried to drink as much of it as he could, even though the bitter taste made him gag. 

In his hastiness to chug it all, Bennett began to choke. He wheezed as some of the soap went down his windpipe, and he pounded at his chest in attempt to feel better. Bennett coughed over the sink and he ended up spitting out the last of the soap. The neon green of it contrasted against the stark white of the sink. It made him sick. Bennett groaned and tried to clear his throat, then he coughed up more soap and phlegm. His stomach swam and the boy lurched above the sink. He could feel the bile rising even further up his throat and Bennett heaved, hard. 

The blonde shot towards the toilet and regurgitated. Bennett’s right hand balled up, clutching his sweatpants tightly. Another wave of nausea racked through him and all of a sudden he was throwing up again. The poor worker held himself above the toilet, moaning in pain and misery. Of course, his vomit had nothing but the sickening, artificial green of soap swimming in it. Some of his spittle wound up on the toilet seat, but that was the least of his problems right now. Bennett held his stomach, frowning and hoping he wouldn’t throw up again. 

Suddenly, he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. He turned his head so fast, that it made the earlier crick throb with pain. Bennett lifted his free hand to rub at it while he gazed up at Felix. The young scientist looked down at him, not registering everything at first. It was clear he had just woken up and now Bennett felt guilty for making such a mess in the bathroom. “I-” he began to apologize but the shorter boy shot him a glare. He shut up immediately. Felix walked over to where Bennett was and started unraveling toilet paper to wipe up any vomit or soap. 

“It’s fine. You don’t need to say anything.” the younger boy snapped. Bennett nodded silently and let him work. He risked a glance at his housemate who returned it with a brief pat on the back. Felix didn’t look at him, but Bennett could tell he was concerned. “Haven’t I told you to lay it easy on the soap?” Felix questioned, but he was still focused on cleaning the toilet. 

“Y-yeah but-”

“But what? You know that too much soap directly after waking up is bad for your health. Why did you try to drink an entire half bottle?”

“I- I don’t know. I just needed it…” Bennett trailed off. He stared down to his left. Felix finished up wiping down toilet. He disposed of the dirtied tissues by throwing it into the toilet. The younger boy got up from his kneeling position and flushed the toilet. He walked past Bennett, who was still sulking like a guilty puppy, and made his way over to the sink. 

Felix began wiping down the rim of the sink and the knobs of the faucet, this time with a fresh wad of toilet paper. It was silent again. “H-hey, I’m sorry for making a mess.” Bennett muttered, barely audible. His throat felt hoarse and tighter than before, so he didn’t dare speak so loud. “Don’t worry about it.” Felix replied abruptly. The older boy shuffled his hands in his lap. 

“This is my fourth accident this month though, you don’t need to clean it up. Just let me do it and leave.” 

“No. I can’t do that.” Bennett looked out at his housemate from the corner of his eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows timidly, expecting a berating not unlike Huxley’s. Felix went back to Bennett and crouched down to clean up his face. He discarded the toilet paper again and ripped off a decent amount. The smaller boy dabbed at the edges of Bennett’s mouth and eyes, making sure to get everything. His eyebrows were knit close together and his lips were drawn into a tight line, and Bennett felt a bit better. He’s familiar enough with Felix’s mannerisms, and he knew the other boy was worried. 

When Felix finished, he threw the toilet paper into the trash can. The young scientist moved Bennett’s arm away from his stomach and nudged his way into his chest. Bennett drew back his arms away in surprise. He’s never seen Felix do something like this before. Maybe this was his way of comforting him? Regardless, Bennett put his arms around Felix in a somewhat awkward hug. The younger boy silently wrapped his smaller arms around him in response. “You know,” Felix began, “You can talk it out with me.” 

Bennett was taken aback with how oddly compassionate Felix was being right now. The scientist certainly wasn’t heartless, but he just wasn’t used to this level of affection. “I…” Bennett  started to tear up, “I know, but. I don’t want to burden you.” He paused for a moment, sniffing. “I don’t want to bother Florence either. You’re both busy enough with your own work.”

“Oh come on, your own wellbeing is lesser than my work? You’re being utterly ridiculous.” Bennett smiled faintly through his tears. There was the usual, harsh Felix he loved and cared about. “You are my friend. You should know that you aren’t any less important than my research.” Felix continued.

“I know but-”

“Stop saying ‘but!’” Felix snapped. He looked up from Bennett’s chest and swatted at his face with a pout. The older boy frowned at him pitifully but didn’t protest. “There’s no reason for you to try and shoulder all your problems on your own. Talk things out with me, or Florence if that makes you more comfortable.” 

This time, the blonde didn’t respond. He looked down blankly at his lap, trying not to look at the younger boy. Bennett shifted his arms, that were around Felix, to wipe at his eyes. The worker’s shoulders shook as he sniffed. Felix held in a sigh and grabbed more toilet paper. He presented it to Bennett, who took it and held it over his eyes. 

All Felix could do was stay on standby while he waited for Bennett to calm down. He didn’t really know what to do in these situations. The young boy tried to rub at the latter’s shoulder reassuringly, but Bennett still continued to sob. Felix knew he was probably being a bit too harsh with his earlier statements, but what else was he supposed to do? Comforting wasn’t his strong suit, so he idly drew circles with his thumb on Bennett’s shoulder. He tried to knock his head back into his housemate’s chest, not unlike a cat. 

The older boy calmed down and wiped the edges of his eyes. Bennett took deep breaths as he dried the tear tracks that ran down his cheeks. He sniffed, and Felix pressed his head even further into him. Felix spoke softly, “Hey, are you okay now?” His tone was kind, and there was none of his usual edge in it. Bennett managed a quiet hum in response. The younger boy nuzzled his head into Bennett’s chest, who began to run his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry.” Bennett croaked, his voice slightly hoarse. 

“You don’t need to be. It’s not your fault.”

“B-” the older boy interrupted himself. Felix shot a glare up from his bowed head position, and Bennett shut his mouth. He knew better than to reply with ‘but’ now. “A-alright,” he said shakily instead. Felix accepted this with a faint smile and hugged Bennett around his waist. The younger boy was still being so uncharacteristically fond and mushy right now, it kinda disturbed Bennett. Even though, he just let it happen. 

Bennett laid his hand over Felix’s pink? Orange?- The blonde stopped his train of thought. Whatever- the hair color didn’t matter- Bennett laid his hand over Felix’s hair. The latter smiled again. ‘It’s still morning and weird things are already happening.’ Bennett mused with a slightly amused expression. He brushed aside that thought and continued to pet his friend. “Can I still have my soap for the day?” Bennett asked hopefully.

“Hm. But you better eat something today before you take your soap. I’ll get Aiden to make you something, okay?”

“Argh….fine.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah yeah, I promise.” 

Felix got up from the bathroom floor and held out his hand to Bennett. The latter took it gratefully. Bennett ruffled Felix’s hair affectionately and smiled down at him. “Thanks, Mr. Honikker.”

“Don’t call me that.” the younger boy shot back with a glower.

“Okay,” Bennett replied. After a moment he opened his mouth again, “Mr. Ho-”

“I’m going to tell Huxley to hide the soap if you call me that.”

“Okay okay…geez.” The worker beamed at the scientist, amused at how annoyed he seemed to be. Felix was still pouting but it softened into a smile. He moved to open the door and held it out for Bennett. They then made their way to the kitchen where everyone was starting to gather. Charlotte greeted them with a bright smile. Magcat purred went over to wind itself around the boys’ legs affectionately. Aiden was already at the stove cooking something, and Huxley gave a brief wave of acknowledgement. Florence sat at the table and winked as they walked in, and Bennett beamed at her. Today would be better, because he had all of them.

**Author's Note:**

> oh yeah, by the way! i have a hello charlotte discord! if you wanna join im happy to send you an invite!!!!! and if you ever wanna talk about hello charlotte, my tumblr is gay-fukami.tumblr.com!
> 
> thank you for reading!!


End file.
